


Don’t Worry, I’ll Show You The Ropes

by Beethovensbitxh



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby is very salty for no reason whatsoever, F/M, M/M, Mild Gay Panic, Nonbinary Bobby | Trevor, Nonbinary Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Pansexual Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Trying not to make this sad but who knows where it'll go, but I still love him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:42:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28694136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beethovensbitxh/pseuds/Beethovensbitxh
Summary: High school is shitty. But as long as you have the right people and the right cup of coffee, it’s not too bad, especially if that cup of coffee comes from R. Molina’s Cafe.
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Reggie Peters, Flynn & Julie Molina, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 9
Kudos: 144





	1. You Can't Scare Me Off

R. Molina's Café, usually shortened to just Molina's, always hit the spot on a chilly morning. It was a home away from home for many regulars who just needed an escape from their usual routines, even if it was just for 20 minutes at a time. Whether it was the French Vanilla Latte’s, their Hot Chocolate, or just a simple Black Coffee, it was paradise for some. 

The owners were possibly some of the nicest people around and had founded the café after their son was born as a way to complete Rose’s dreams of being a small business owner while also having a space for their children to be taken care of, seeing as it was barely 50 feet away from a daycare. Ray ran a nice little side business as a professional photographer, but the café would always be their pride and joy. 

Once their daughter Julie had turned 17 and become a regular face around the café, she had started working the registers and brewing the lattes. That’s also when Alex came to work there. 

They had a few classes together at Los Feliz and after Alex made an offhand comment about needing a job or else his parents would kick him out while they waited for their chemistry teacher to check their group project, Julie mentioned that her parents were looking to hire. 

Alex certainly hadn’t expected to get a job at Molina's, he barely even knew Julie. They’d talked very few times outside of school and only had each other's numbers saved because they had a history project together once. 

He knew exactly 3 things about Julie: 

1) She had a younger brother named Carlos that really, really liked video games. The one time he’d gone to her house to work on a project Carlos had begged Julie to let her new friend play with him. He reminded Alex of Reggie for some reason. 

2) She had a killer voice. She and all 4 of the guys were in the same music class, so any of them could attest to it. The first time she performed one of the songs she and her mother wrote together, Alex was pretty sure he saw Bobby crying a bit. 

3) She had a thing for butterflies. She wore a pin in the shape of a butterfly every day, had them in her locker, on her folders, on her backpack, set as her phone wallpaper, and in her room. Julie had once told him that, to her, they represented freedom and beauty. She even gifted him a portrait of himself surrounded by butterflies for his birthday. He cried. 

After he came out, everything at home had gone to shit and he realized pretty quick that he’d need a job in order to move out when he turned 18 and into an apartment with the boys. Luke didn’t want to live in Bobby’s garage for too long, and Reggie hated staying in his house for longer than 24 hours. 

Once Alex started brewing coffees, Molina's became a spot for his friends to hang out after school or before band practice during Alex’s shift. Plus, Luke had a pretty gnarly crush on Julie, but would never admit it to anyone or himself outright, but it didn’t take the others too long to notice it. He’d stare in her general direction whenever they stopped in, and always made sure to say hi even if she wasn’t working the counter. 

Reggie loved their hot chocolate’s, especially when made by his best friend. Bobby usually just got a Honey-Lemon Tea, he wasn’t much of a coffee guy, which was definitely something that might catch a new friend off guard based on their whole aesthetic. They would usually sit at the window and make fun of Luke while they watched passersby on the street. They were like that couple you spot in public that everyone else strives to be. 

Alex didn’t mind having them around if it meant making the work load a little less stressful. 

Ray and Rose were nice enough. If Alex had to call in last minute, they didn’t demand he come in or get frustrated, all they asked was that he make the shift up the next day he wasn’t working to try and give Julie a break. The same went for Julie. 

After one certain shift, where Alex had offered to drive Julie home after closing since her parents had taken Carlos to a parent-teacher conference. His car was old, like almost 20 years old and a stick shift. Of course, he knew how to drive it, but it was the anxiety that someone other than his friends would be in the car with him that made him stall out while leaving the parking lot. 

“It’s fine...” Julie smiled as he desperately tried to turn the car back on, flustered out of his mind, “No no no! Don’t do this... c’mon!” He pleaded, not realizing the shifter was still stuck in first gear. Julie reached over a pushed the shifter back into neutral and laughed. “My dad taught me how to drive a little stick.” 

The tension left his shoulders and he relaxed, “I just... I don’t wanna scare off new friends so quick.” Julie leaned back and crossed her arms, “You can’t scare me off Alex.” 

“This is KLOS 95.5 coming at you with some Led Zepplin for your afternoon! Hit it boys!” The radio yelled, startling Alex, who quickly reached over to change the channel. “Sorry sorry! Luke left it on this channel yesterday...” Julie moved his hand away from the knob and turned it up. “Don’t worry, I’m actually into this stuff.” 

“I... never would’ve guessed.” 

“Those yours?” Julie pointed towards the drumsticks jutting out of the cupholder, twirling one like a knob. “Ah- yeah...” “Didn’t know you played drums.” “Oh... it’s just... it’s nothing.” He affirmed, and Julie continued to fiddle with the sticks. 

It was almost 6 by the time Alex actually dropped Julie off at her house and her parents had gotten home from Carlos’ school 10 minutes earlier. She’d invited him in to hang out and actually get to know one another, but he was already 20 minutes late for band practice and bid her a goodnight. 

“Where the hell you been?” Luke shouted when Alex pulled into the driveway of Bobby’s house. “Relax. I was giving Julie a ride home.” Luke raised his eyebrows slightly and backed down at the mention of her. “J-Julie? Oh.” 

“Where we at?” Alex asked, throwing his duffel down on the couch and hastily sitting down on his stool, nearly knocking it and himself to the ground. “We were halfway through East Side but we kinda had to improvise ‘cause our drummer was not here for his solo...” Bobby retorted shortly. They were in a bad mood. 

“Calm down girls...” Reggie announced, and Luke let out a curt laugh.


	2. So Breaking Girl Code

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke Patterson had never had a crush before. It had always been him and his music, but as his growing affections for Julie Molina start to get in the way of that, Luke turns to the three people he'd sworn to himself he'd never ask for romantic advice: his band mates.

By summer, Luke had finally built up the courage to even admit to his crush on Julie, even if it took a lot of pushing and bullying from his friends. 

“I do not have a crush on Julie!” He’d protested after band practice one day, drenched in sweat and gulping down half a water bottle in less than 10 seconds. “Dude you came into the café 4 times during my last shift just to ‘say hi’. I don’t know about you but that feels pretty telling.” 

Bobby laughed, and Luke slung his sweaty towel towards them, “Hey or maybe Luke’s got a crush on Alex.” He joked and smiled widely and shot Alex a look. “Aw! Luke! Why didn’t you tell us?” Reggie mocked and Alex scoffed. 

“Listen guys... Luke it is totally fine if you like Julie. I know you were raised in the 80’s or whatever, but men don’t need to hide their feelings anymore dude. It’s the 21st century.” The boys liked to joke that Luke was born in the 70’s, simply because of his absurd choices in style and the “vibes” he emitted. Whatever that meant. 

“Trust me dude, you got it down bad...” Reggie insisted, drawing the “bad” out for a few seconds longer. He was sitting on the old floral couch Bobby’s parents kept in their small garage. It had been there since they were kids, stored outside when the whole floral pattern thing fell out of style. Mr. And Mrs. Wilson had intended to bring it to Goodwill, but after seeing how often it was used by the four boys, they’d decided to keep it and a few other items of furniture out there for the sheer comfort of it all. Plus, having 4 rowdy teenage boys all inside at once wasn’t the most ideal for keeping their carpets clean. After Luke left home, he’d pretty much become bonded to that couch, they couldn’t bring themselves to throw it, and him, out. 

Luke plopped himself down in the leather chair next to the coffee table and clenched his jaw. “Okay, so fine! Maybe I like Julie! It’s not like I’ve had a real conversation with her though!” Bobby gritted his teeth “Uh, yeah... we know. You don’t think we haven’t noticed the incessant staring and the dreamy-” All 3 boys joined in to chorus “Heyyyy Julie...”. 

Luke pretended not to care, but Alex kept going, “Every time you come in its ‘is Julie working?’ or ‘Can you tell Julie I said hi?’” Alex mockingly raised his voice an octave to match Luke’s voice, even though it sounded nothing like him, and Luke pouted, “I don’t sound like that!” 

Reggie raised an eyebrow and Bobby slung an arm around him as he fell down next to him, Luke looked like a lightbulb had just come on. “Bobby, how did you ask Reggie out?” Bobby let out a curt laugh that sounded like he was being strangled, “You think I know how? One day were just friends and the next we were making out on my bed... I have no clue how we got there-” Bobby widened his eyes and looked towards Luke feet, “I barely even remember that day...” 

It was true, after one of their small wouldn’t-say-party-but-instead-a-get-together's at Bobby’s house, Reggie had drunkenly, and loudly, announced his bisexuality before grabbing his friend by the jaw and pulling them into a very heated kiss. Bobby was stunned for a moment, like shit, this was happening. He’d had a major crush on Reggie for going on 3 years and couldn’t remember how many times this exact daydream had occurred. Alex smiled like a dumbass all the way up until they broke apart, and Luke just stared, slack jaw. It was either the booze or the sheer shock of it all. Of course, he’d never thought Reggie was straight, not after watching him silently pine for Bobby for God knows how long. None of them were sober enough to remember everything that happened that night, but Alex remembered one specific detail about spray paint and eggs, but that was it. The biggest mystery from that night was what they did with them. 

Luke helplessly turned to Alex, a desperate puppy dog look in his eyes and his lip pouted. “Alex... what about with you and Willie?” 

Alex mouthed an “ah” and pursed his lips. “Uh... he skated out in front of me and I almost hit them with my car... still surprised they agreed to get coffee afterwards... now they call me Hotdog and look very pretty” He raised his water to his lips before stopping himself, “But I don’t think Julie would appreciate it if you tried to hit her with your car to ask her out.” 

Alex had, in fact, almost hit Willie with his car. He was tired, the sun was in his eyes, and then all of a sudden, a very cute person was out in front of his car and Alex was laying on the horn. That startled Willie more than actually nearly getting hit, and they’d fallen right of his board. Alex apologized profusely, but Willie found it funny as hell. Three days later, as Alex pushed through his shift, Willie had come in, it was purely coincidental. Alex had freaked out and offered to buy them a drink, and Willie had just smiled and agreed, exchanging a napkin with their number for a free coffee. Alex hadn’t been lying when he said that Willie called him Hotdog, after their second date when he stepped on a discarded one on the ground and almost puked in a garbage bin. 

Luke grunted and threw himself dramatically into the back of the seat, letting his head hit the hard backing of it and a thud echoed around the garage. It was silent for a while. 

Sensing the absolute dread hanging in the air, Alex finally said, “If I tell you this, it never leaves this garage...” Luke immediately flung his head upwards towards him and leaned forward, shaking his head vigorously. 

“On the day’s you don’t come in, hypothetically, Julie asks where you are...” Luke’s eyes widened and he jumped up, “She asks about me?” “She asks about if you’re coming in.” Alex corrected and turned to look towards Bobby and Reggie, he whispered “I am so breaking girl code right now.” 

Meanwhile, Luke was rambling on about possible ways to ask her out. Alex didn’t understand all of it, but the few he did hear included: serenading her at Molina's (“No Luke, you are not serenading her while I am in the same room or I may puke”), buying a coffee and leaving his number on the store copy of the receipt (Alex had offered to give him her number but he stood by having to do this “the manly way” or something) and purposely partnering himself with Julie for their next music assignment (Bobby had objected to that immediately because “it’s creepy and stalkerish”. Bobby described themself as a hardcore feminist). 

“Why don’t you just ask her out like a normal person?” Reggie pointed out, but Bobby retorted “babe, you know he’s not normal”, which was met with an angry sounding noise from Luke. It sounded like he was trying to say something obscene without opening his mouth. Alex made a cup around his ear with his hand and raised an eyebrow, awaiting a string of curse words to come out of his mouth, but Bobby's little sister was in the living room on the other side of the wall and Luke did not want to be responsible for her learning the word fuck. 

Alex pushed himself up from where he had been laying on the ground “Okay listen... I happen to know some very valuable information that may appeal to you.” “What? What is it?” Luke bounced up. “I heard Ray and Rose talking about hiring someone else-” “Deal!” 

“Dude I didn’t even finish my-” “Doesn’t matter, I want the job.” Luke blurted out and Alex rolled his eyes. “Interrupt me again and I am not helping you.” 

Alex had never been the best wingman. He had his shining moments, but the boys never failed to bring up the countless amount of times that he’d accidentally scared someone off. It wasn’t that he was bad at hyping up his boys, it was that he was too good at it. You’d think Alex was the one in love with Luke by the way he talked about how good he looked on stage or his crisp yet smooth singing voice. 

Alex was determined to change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, welcome back! Just wanted to let you know that starting today, chapters will be released every Thursday (it's my only consistent day off). Also yes, Bobby uses he/they pronouns because I feel it in my bones.


	3. We Work In A Café?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Luke tries to impress his new bosses (and Julie) on his first day at Molina's, Alex desperately attempts to hide a secret. It's not a very bad secret, but it's one he'd hate to tell her.

The next day, Luke tried to come up with the perfect first date while Alex attempted to get Luke the job and right the wrongs from the past. Lucky for them, Ray and Rose were happy to bring in some extra help so they could focus on not only the photography business but also Carlos. Luke was more than excited, since he could also save up money for a new amp, and eventually that apartment they’d talked about. 

15 minutes before his shift was supposed to start, the near silence of Molina’s was cut with the soft jingle of the bell above the door. Luke rubbed his hands together to warm them up, closing the door quickly to keep the heat in and locking it. He had taken a bus and then walked 2 miles just to get there early and was keen on making a good first impression on his new bosses. 

“Hey Luke!” Julie greeted from behind the counter. She was replacing the pastries from the day before, and the heat coming off of them left condensation on the glass covering them. Luke couldn’t help but grin goofily. 

“Dad! Luke’s here!” She turned and yelled over her shoulder, changing her tone almost immediately, and from the kitchen came Ray, a light layer of flour coated his greying hair. Baking was more Rose’s talent. 

“Hey Luke! First day!” Ray pumped his fist supportively and brushed his hands on the apron that lay loosely around his waist, and Luke nodded his head and chuckled, “Yes sir.” 

“Okay, first things first, the grand tour.” Ray slung an arm around Luke and patted his shoulder, leading him into the back. The kitchen wasn’t giant, but there were 2 big industrial ovens and one of those giant mixers for big batches of batters and the like. 

As he explained it, he and Rose made big batches in the morning, since none of their employees were experienced enough to even make plain banana bread. They’d get there eventually, but Julie could barely make a bag of popcorn without burning it, and the most exquisite thing that Alex could make was a box of macaroni and cheese. Cup O’ Noodles was also capable of being made, but it rarely happened after he forgot water once and almost destroyed the microwave. 

“Alex’ll show you how to work the register and the coffee machines up front.” Ray pointed out and Luke furrowed his brow. “I will?” came from behind Luke, who turned to see Alex in the doorway, just in time for his shift. 

“Well yeah. I figured since you two are friends-” Alex threw his backpack onto the ground and pushed Luke out of the way. “Ray, uh... no offense but I don’t think that’s gonna work honestly-” The boy's comments about his wingman skills echoed in the back of his mind, “unless you want me to snap and then you’re down two employees. I really don’t think I should be left alone with him, let alone teach him how to make an espresso.” He lowered his voice to a whisper, “I would get very fed up very quickly.” 

In all honesty, he was telling the truth. If Alex had to hear one more comment about Julie and how nervous he was, he may have actually killed Luke and gotten himself arrested. 

Rose came from around the corner, her hair in perfect ringlets like usual, completely undisturbed, unlike her husbands. “Oh...” she whispered and brushed the flour out of his hair before turning to look at Alex. “Well, we wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt. Julie has more experience with the machines anyway.” She reminded Ray, who’s eyes continued to fluctuate between the two boys. 

“Julie!” He called out after a moment, “You’re training Luke today!” Luke made a mental note to kiss Alex later. “Okay dad.” Julie called back, and Luke looked to Alex. “Sorry kid. You don’t get to be impressed by how totally awesome I’m gonna be at this job.” Alex mouthed a “yeah” and shook his head before turning around to go clock in, saying over his shoulder “I’ll see it when I believe it.” 

“You might want to follow him, so we get you clocked in on time.” Rose whispered, and Luke silently panicked. “Yeah! Yeah, right. I knew that.” 

There were a few people waiting outside for one of them to turn over the open sign and unlock the doors when he’d reached the counters. 

Luke stared at the computer screen for a moment, unsure of what to do and what buttons to press. He’d never formally clocked in somewhere. “Here.” Julie reached over, demonstrating what buttons to press to get him to the clock in screen. Luke wasn’t fully paying attention. Julie’s hair smelled like a mix of Pineapple and Peach, which was enough to distract him. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll show you the ropes.” She reassured, and in that moment, Luke became the biggest dumbass in Sunset Curve history and furrowed his brows. “But we work in a café?” Luckily, Julie had a misguided sense of humor and laughed it off, even though he was being completely sincere. 

“Alex can you get the door!” Rose yelled from the kitchen, but Alex was already a step ahead of her. The breakfast hour wasn’t too bad. Julie showed Luke how to ring a few people out at first, before letting him do it on his own. Breakfast rush wasn’t the best time to learn how to make coffees, especially with some of the regulars in the café. Mary came in almost every morning before her shift at the hospital and always ordered something different, which made Alex’s job 100x harder while also being bombarded with other customers. At least now there was one more of them to fend off the mob. 

Thankfully, things calmed down by 12 and Julie walked Luke through the espresso machines and the like. It wasn’t too hard to understand, Luke was good at learning on the fly, but he had never been good at measuring things out by heart. 

Ray and Rose left the teens at 3 so that they could head to a photoshoot, promising to be back by closing. When 4 rolled around, Luke had gotten almost everything down, well except for the Espresso Grinder, it had startled him so bad he almost knocked it over. Alex intervened before it all went horribly wrong. 

Bobby and Reggie had come in around 4:45 and ordered something completely different than they usually got: a plain black coffee and the most complicated iced coffee Alex had ever heard, just to test Luke’s skills. 

“We’re watching you man...” Bobby taunted as Luke panicked over which buttons to press whilst also going as fast as he could. He could see Reggie checking his watch every few minutes out of the corner of his eye. Somehow, Luke had managed to create not-so-shitty coffee. 

“Remember, practice at 6!” Reggie called out as he and Bobby left, hand in hand and giggling about something. 

“Practice?” Julie asked in a somewhat teasing tone. “What’s your sport? Lacrosse? Soccer? Oooo, table tennis?” 

“Nah...” Luke chuckled. Alex swallowed and suddenly flung his arms around Luke, ready to divert the ridiculous admission of truth he’d been avoiding for weeks. "Hey! Luke! Pal! Why don't we uh,- why don't we shut up?" "What is wrong with you Alex? You know I'm not capable of that. As I was saying-" Luke was cut off by Alex throwing his hand over his mouth. 

Julie looked between the two boys, who were near wrestling. Thank God there were only two people in the store (one wasn't paying attention, and the other was so amused Julie knew she wouldn't say anything). "Careful! You're gonna-" "Oh my- Luke!" Alex was wiping his hand on his apron and reaching for the hand sanitizer. "Did you just lick him?"

Luke continued, “We’re in a band. Sunset Curve.” If Reggie was there, he’d say “Tell your friends”. 

“A band!” Julie sounded like she’d just discovered the darkest secret of Alex’s life, which in a way, it was. He hadn’t told her yet, fearing it would incite a scary amount of bullying from Julie. 

“So that’s what those drumsticks were for!” She pointed at Alex, who pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. “You didn’t tell her?” Luke turned and half-shouted, and the patron sitting by the window looked over to them. 

“No! I didn’t tell her Luke!” Alex grunted, before turning to the cash register to chime the usual “Hi, welcome to Molina’s.” when the bell over the door rang. 

“Well... you should totally come watch us practice...” Alex heard Luke spit out. Luke hadn’t even realized he’d said it until it came out, but he felt his face drop in realization and panic. “Or- uhm- I mean... uhhhhh, only if you want-” His head was thumping and he had become alarmingly aware of his own heartbeat. Julie fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist and seemed to register the look on Luke's face before giggling and nodding, “No yeah I’d- I’d love to. 6?” 

Luke’s face flushed and nodded slightly, “y-yeah. 6.” Julie smiled, and looked past Luke’s shoulder to Alex, who was pouring a lemonade, he was gripping the disposable cup so tight he was starting to dent it. “Alex, give me a ride?” “I’m already driving Luke, what’s one more.” He glared at Luke, before quickly turning his attention back to the customer, putting on the best faux smile he could. That murder he'd been thinking about earlier was sounding nice at that point. 

Even the man at the register could tell the poor boy was on the brink of quitting, and silently slipped a 5-dollar bill over the counter in Alex's direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is he... ya know... the biggest dumbass in Sunset Curve history?  
> Anyways, come join the Reggie Cult aka The Corner Gang Club on tumblr


	4. Someone Has Their Pants In A Twist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Julie starts hanging around more during practice, Luke's friends start to get concerned that he's not focusing on the music anymore. Mostly Bobby though, whos responsibilities as mom friend override the need to tell this actual angel how amazing she is.

_Last night forever_

_Slamming on the breaks_

_Foot forward and dangerous_

_It’s time we-_

“Oh, hey Julie!” Luke had stopped playing, and singing, completely, right in the middle of the verse. After that first practice, Julie had come to every practice since. It wasn’t too bad having her around, but the other guys were starting to get a little pissy about not being the center of attention. 

Bobby groaned and put his guitar down as Reggie finished his last note. Alex had just stopped abruptly halfway through his part. “Really?” all three chorused. Luke didn't seem to care and quickly pulled his guitar off of his shoulder and grabbing a towel to wipe the beads off his foreheads.

“That was really good! What song was that?” Julie chimed, and set her bag down on the ground. “Oh, that was Tomorrow Falls, it’s... still in the works...” “What he means is he wrote the chorus and that’s it!” Jesus Bobby. 

Luke turned back towards his friends, “Someone has their pants in a twist.” 

Bobby had been the first, and only, to admit that Luke was becoming something completely unfamiliar to who they knew him as. He had even ditched practice 2 days before to hand out with Julie, leaving Sunset Curve without a guitarist or a lead singer. 

It wasn’t that Bobby was completely against Luke getting a girlfriend, or partner, or anyone, it was that he was completely abandoning the thing they’d all religiously followed for nearly a decade. There was 1 rule in the garage, which was that there was no excuse for skipping practice. (Actually, there were 2 reasons it was okay, but none of them had agreed on which 2 were acceptable just yet, which goes to show how hard it was to make decisions in this group) 

Bobby felt like it was their job to keep the boys out of trouble, keep them safe, and often times fed because none of them knew how to take care of themselves. “You can’t just show up hungry and not expect me to feed you! Jesus Christ Reginald...” He’d hiss and practically throw bags of Smartfood popcorn at him. 

Bobby had never had a hard childhood, not like the other boys at least. Their parents didn’t care about church or their child dating. They hadn’t been the people the other boys would come to know when he was a kid, attempting to ready him for college and their future. Bobby had even been forced into taking early high school courses in 7th grade. 

By high school, when he found “their people”, Mr. Wilson had finally chilled out a bit. “Maybe a band will be good for him” and “invite your friends over for dinner tomorrow” were thrown around a lot, especially once their parents found out about Luke, Alex, and Reggie’s home lives. 

They came out sophomore year, when Bobby started realizing just how different they felt around their boys and how he felt when one specific one threw his arms around Bobby's shoulders. Reggie had been his first ever crush, and it was still clinging on by a thread, swinging wildly at will and every time it hit a vein or an organ, they’d feel a tinge of sadness and nostalgia. 

After the wouldn’t-say-party-but-instead-called-it-a-get-together at Bobby’s house where Reggie fulfilled everything Bobby had been missing for 3 years running, everything had changed. 

Going out for lunch stopped being going out for lunch and sharing a bottle of water stopped being sharing a bottle of water. 

It became catching glances of the other out of the corner of their eye and throwing a wink the others way as they played, the burning of their giant concert lights illuminating every feature. 

It became pushing the hair out of his sweat covered face to study his freckles and whisper “I love you” into a kiss. 

It became keeping their lips to that bottle of water for a few seconds longer after taking that last sip, just to try and find the taste of his again. 

Bobby felt like he was floating whenever he was around Reggie, who only wanted to hold onto Bobby and never let go. But still, through all of that, they stayed focused on the band. Two totally different lives. That’s what Bobby feared when Julie started coming around. 

“That’s still a good song though!” Julie smiled, and handed Luke the hand towel that was on the arm of the couch. They really needed to get new lights or none of them were going to survive much longer. Julies sunny disposition was just as concerning as Luke’s sudden change in behavior. Was she always that happy? 

“Hey, Rose was in a band, right?” Alex pointed his drumstick towards Julie, who nodded her head a few times. “Uh yeah, it was… oh what was it?” She put her knuckle to her forehead, “Oh! It was Rose and the Petal Pushers… Well- that was one of them…” her smile dissipated as her attention was drawn to the other side of the room. 

“Do you think she can take a look at it? See if- maybe she can figure something out? We’re kinda stuck.” Reggie swung his bass around to cling to his back and passed his water bottle over to Bobby. “I mean- yeah she could…” Julie trailed off; she was standing at the keyboard that was pushed to the side. It hadn’t been used in years, but still sat by Alex’s little stage, collecting dust. 

“Oh, I wouldn’t bother with that. I doubt it works anymore...” Bobby pointed to it and managed to sink the now empty bottle into the trash on the other side of the garage. Luke dropped his hand down, which Bobby slapped in their usual high-five form. 

Julie bent down under the keyboard, pulling out a small cord, and held it up in front of her. “You were saying?” 

Turns out, those types of keyboards need to be plugged in. Once Julie had felt around for a dusty plug, it whirred to life. Alex used his hoodie sleeve to wipe the dust off the keys, giving them a very nice descending melody. “Well, it works...” Reggie pointed at the keyboard. 

“Mind if I give it a shot?” She asked, and Luke shook his head so violently Reggie Alex thought it might fly off, “Go for it!” All four of them knew how insanely talented she was, but it hadn’t exactly dawned on them how well their styles would patch together until she started playing one of their songs. 

Sunset Curve hadn’t considered adding keys into their songs yet, but as Julie tapped out the beginning of Crooked Teeth, which she’d claimed was her favorite song from their demo album, which Luke played on repeat in his headphones, they all shared a similar thought. 

By the 1st verse, Alex had begun to follow along on his drums, followed by Bobby and Luke, and finally Reggie. Luke had never felt so invigorated while playing, considering he and Julie shared the pre-chorus. They made quite the dynamic duo. 

“Band meeting!” Luke called after setting down his guitar. Luke only ever called a band meeting when they had a guest if it were for a really important, mega, band-changing opportunity. The usual meeting was just him writing things on a white board that got knocked down by an amp cord. 

The four huddled together in a half circle, shoulder to shoulder. “Okay, what if I said...” Luke looked back over his shoulder towards Julie, who was still standing at the keyboard before turning back, “we ask Julie to join the band.” Alex loudly groaned, and Luke shushed him. 

“I’m serious! We all saw that. She’s wicked talented. We’d be missing out.” Luke was nearly jumping in his vans. 

“You guys are kinda weird.” Julie called out to them, and all 4 turned. Bobby was starting to like her after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I write a Bobby-centric/Boggie chapter because I love them? yes.  
> It's a little short, but it's got a nice storyline I think? I've never written with NB characters before so I'm trying to take it a bit slow so I don't fuck it up  
> And YES I KNOW ITS A DAY LATE I HAD A BREAKDOWN IN THE PUBLIX PARKING LOT OVER A CAKE AND FORGOT IM SORRY


	5. I Blew It...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie blows it when confronted with a life changing offer, but Flynn knows exactly how to resolve it. What else are best friends for.

Reggie and Bobby patted their legs rapidly, “We want you to join our band!” Luke spread his arms, expecting a huge reaction. Instead, Julie looked between the four.

“Oh...” “Oh? That... that’s not something you say when you’re invited to join the most epic  rock  band of all time!” Luke widened his eyes a bit and looked to his friends. Bobby and Reggie had stopped their drumroll, and Alex wished that he was any where but there.

“I... I don’t know.  I wouldn’t be very great in a band-” “Are you kidding me?” Luke stepped up on the coffee table, making h im just a bit taller than Alex, “If we posted the song we just played together on YouTube, I’m sure we’d be a hit !” 

Julie sighed and looked up at him, “Let me think about it. Thanks for letting me hang ... see yo Monday- ” she switched the keyboard off and left.

“I think you scared her off man-” Alex leaned over, and Luke reached over and swatted his head. 

When Julie got home,  she shoved her face into her pillow, ready to let out a scream so loud it would wake those sleeping in England. She had pulled her phone out halfway home and texted Flynn “9-1-1!!!” at least 3  times and was waiting for her best friend to  fly through the door, ice cream and reassurance in hand.

Almost like Flynn could read her thoughts, the door flung open. “I... ran all... the... way here... ”  she said between breathes and bent over . “I got your texts! What happened! What’s wrong!”

Julie threw the pillow off her face and sat up, turning to Flynn. “I blew it...” her voice was hoarse, even though she hadn’t yelled yet, and she clenched her jaw. “With-” “yeah. Big time.”

Flynn collapsed onto Julie’s bed and reached her hand out, which Julie clamped onto.  It was a whole thing.

“What’d you do?” Flynn swung her head towards Julie . “Uh...” Julie was dreading this next part, “I sang Crooked Teeth with them and then they asked me to join their band-” Flynn shot up, “They asked you to join their band?!”

Julie nodded slowly, her hair becoming more disheveled as her head rubbed against the bed. She was regretting everything now. Including liking Luke.

When Julie met Luke freshman year, it was like this very sharp rock had hit her in the face  and then BAM! Huge crush. It was the best analogy she could come with.

Julie liked how his hair laid (even though it looked like he hadn’t washed it in weeks), and h ow he cradled his guitar and claimed it was his most prized possession, and wowzah because ARMS. That last point was the only thing Flynn agreed with, even though she was solely attracted to women.

“What did you say?” “I said ‘oh’ and then ‘let me think about it’...” Julie pursed her lips and grabbed the pillow again, shoving it back over her face. Flynn thought for a moment she’d try to suffocate herself.  “Oh Jules...” Flynn put her hand on Julie’s arm and rubbed it a bit.

“What do I do?” Julie mumbled from underneath the pillow. Flynn knocked it off with a swipe, leaving Julie’s face half covered in her own hair. “You say yes. Obviously.” “Flynn!” “What! I’m telling the truth! Say yes!”

“I’ve never played like-” Julie sat up and fixed her hair, “in front of people. At least people that I don’t know.” “You barely know those boys, and yet you played with them to day...” Julie whacked Flynn’s arm, who drew it back. “Plus, the whole class has heard them play , and you know they sound good together. So why not join them if you ALL  sound good together.” 

Julie furrowed her brow “Your logic makes no sense... yet I’m intrigued.” “See, I’m a great best friend.”

When Monday rolled around, and Julie forced herself out of bed to head to school, she couldn’t stop thinking about what Flynn had said. Julie Molina had a plan. Monday’s  were the day s Mrs. Harrison  had the class perform what they’d been preparing for the last two weeks , and Julie knew exactly what she was going to do. 

Walking through the halls, waiting for 5 th period to enact this plan was more nerve-wracking than  actually doing it. She hadn’t told Flynn about it yet, knowing that if she  did, she’d probably back out. Julie had never been one to just jump into something headfirst like this, she always planned it out to the very  tip of the  T, someth ing she knew the boys of Sunset Curve never did.

As soon as the bell for 5 th period rang, Julie was half running to music class.  The boys had a demo coming out soon, and she’d heard  Luke and Reggie  asking Mrs. Harrison if they could all play together for the next showcase the Friday before. 

If everything happened like she thought it would, Sunset Curve would have a new member.

Once everyone but Julie and the boys had gone,  Mrs. Harrison took her  usual  spot by the piano.  “Instead of doing solo showcases like we normally would, Luke,  Reggie , Alex, and Bobby have asked if they can perform together for us. Boys-” This was  Julie's chance.

“Wait! Uhm... me too.” Julie stood up from her seat, garnering everyone's attention. “Julie?”  Luke questioned, but Julie was already pulling her keyboard out from where she’d left it before school started.

“What? We’re a band.” Julie whispered as she took her spot next to Reggie. “Okay then . You’re-” “Sunset Curve. Tell your friends.” Reggie snapped and pointed in his usual fashion when talking about the band . As Alex timed them in, Julie caught Luke glance over at her and nod, giving her  you -got-this look.

The class was practically buzzing after class, and Bobby rushed over to Julie as soon as the b e ll rang . “ Does t his mean you’re in the band?” Julie just gave them a smile , which answered all their questions .

“How’d you know what we were  gonna play anyway?” Luke unplugged his amp and slung the cord over his shoulder like he normally did and chuckled. Julie liked when he laughed, because it was  guttural and genuine  every time .

Julie looked towards their drummer, who sent back a smirk as stuck his sticks into his backpack , “I might’ve asked a friend of mine for  your sheet music.” The other 3 looked around at each other as they packed up their instruments , almost like they were talking amongst themselves telepathically. 

Suddenly all looked at Alex, still silent , and Alex furrowed his brow and looked between them all. Julie thought it was a little creepy. Alex rolled his eyes and looked toward  Julie , “We’re happy to have you.”

It was official. Sunset Curve had a new member, and Julia Molina  had a new group of idiots to love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy y'all. I decided that this will be the last chapter. I have another fic lined up that will come out like a few weeks after this ends. In the meantime, I have other one shots and stuff coming out on my tumblr @/beethovensbitxh


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